Long before we had Bridgerton and the Duke's spoon, we had Colin Firth in a wet white shirt. The actor famously played Mr Darcy in the BBC adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, and back in 1995 that billowing white garment had its moment. The iconic scene in which Colin strips off and dives into a lake before emerging sodden and tightly-wrapped didn't just have Elizabeth Bennet in a fluster - for anyone who doesn't remember life before the internet, it was the 90s equivalent of a thirst trap.
And it seems that the collective respect for said white shirt is just as strong as it ever was, as it was just bought at auction for a staggering £25,000. The piece had been estimated to sell for between £7,000 and £10,000, and was listed as part of a sale by prestitious costumiers Cosprop. Various costumes and props from iconic films, worn by some of the biggest stars in the world, were up for sale. According to reports, the winning bid was £20,000 with the buy's premium at £5,000, bringing the total to an eye-watering £25k.
As per BBC, the auctioneer confirmed that Colin actually had three of these white shirts on rotation during filming. As for the other two's whereabouts, one was already sold at auction for charity, and the third still belongs to the Cosprop archive.
During the auction, bidders were also able to get their hands on Madonna's Christian Dior Evita gown and Heath Ledger's Casanova masquerade ball costume.
The auction in London, hosted by Kerry Taylor Auctions, sold more than 60 costumes which have been worn by the likes of Madonna, Meryl Streep and the late Heath Ledger. The pieces were collated by Cosprop, a world-famous costumier in London, which was founded by John Bright - a costume designer who has been nominated for various Oscars and picked up the coveted Academy Award for A Room With A View.
